For the most part, the work of a digital studio consists of routine processes. A new client came - they conducted a comprehensive audit of the site and made a work plan. In terms of - SEO, advertising campaign in Yandex.Direct, "media", reputation management ... And each of these works should be carried out according to the same algorithm, derived from experience.
To standardize and automate work, we at Solvintech studio use checklists.
They help not to forget anything and lead according to the plan. Some of the works are very voluminous. Even if we conduct them regularly, we may overlook something, and this will affect the result.
A checklist is also a detailed work plan. When you don't jump from fifth to tenth, there is no confusion and work goes faster.
And most importantly, they contain clear criteria for the quality of work. At each point, we can indicate which result is optimal and which is unacceptable. And at the same time indicate all intermediate variations.
It is immediately clear what is good and what is bad.
Checklists can be customized for each type of work that lends itself to standardization. That is, almost any. But there are difficulties.
The line between a working and a non-viable checklist is thin
In the case of checklists, the rule applies: they must correspond in every way to the real work process. If this condition is not met, the checklist will not work.
Example. The studio offers a new service - managing the company's reputation on the Internet. This is a non-linear service: the progress of work depends on the capabilities and resources of the studio, there are many pitfalls, subtleties that are not obvious. The worst thing you can do is write checklists formally. If we take into account only theoretical premises, a bunch of minor contradictions arise between the checklist and the real state of affairs. Employees and managers will have to constantly reconcile and redo everything.
Overestimated requirements, careless elaboration of the content, omission of important points can tear the checklist from life. Then it becomes a useless instrument. It's like hammering in a screw.
What should be a good checklist
There are two things to keep in mind:
- Your task is to create a well-coordinated mechanism, when each employee understands what and how to do in stages.
- All items of the checklist must be interconnected. You cannot pile everything into a table without a coherent system.
To create a worksheet, you first need to break down each of the operations into their constituent parts. Write down all the actions that you perform, down to the least significant. You can do it in a mindcard, and then issue it into a checklist - it's more convenient that way.
- Organize in order of action. For example, from the simple to the complex, from the general to the particular.
- Divide into separate steps. To audit contextual advertising, the stages can be as follows: checking account settings, ad parameters, ad groups and individual ads, keywords.
- There is only one action at each point. If you are evaluating the site header, write down separate points about the height of the header, the presence and size of the logo, information content, the type of phone number, etc. Key actions can be highlighted in bold.
- Indicate only specific actions and the possible (acceptable or unacceptable) variants of the results to which they lead. Theory is not needed - checklists are not for this.
- Make the checklist as clear as possible for the employee. Use clear, concise and succinct language.
An example of a checklist at work
Ideally, 10-20 standard checklists can be made in a couple of days, and you can see the first results from the implementation this week. But this rarely happens. Set yourself up to take a long time to implement checklists. They need to be developed (or downloaded ready-made), tested in practice. Most likely - edit it several times. And finally approve only after they prove their effectiveness.
Ready checklists
Below are a few checklists that we have compiled and use in our work every day. Basically, they regulate universal processes, where all stages are approximately the same, regardless of the specifics of the business. Therefore, they can be modified for yourself, or you can use them as they are. Make a copy of the document and customize for yourself.
What to do with checklists: Google Sheets and analogues
One of our tables
Typically, this method is suitable for studios and companies with up to 50 professionals. Ideally 20-30.
Google Sheets analogs:
1. Sitechco. Here you can create checklists and group them under different projects. There are also several ready-made "cheat sheets". For example:
Checklist for checking the form of invalid e-mail
The interface is not very simple - you need to spend an hour or two to figure it out. But the functionality is good, and the cloud version of the service is free.
2. Checklist | Expert ... It is more convenient here: we register, draw up a checklist, use it. There are some nice templates inside. However, in the free version you can create only 10 checklists. But in the paid one - to divide the sheets into logical sections, add interactive tips when hovering over each item, watch the analytics of filling and use, add a video. All this is useful and costs 450 rubles / month.
This is what a part of the informational checklist for the preparation of offers in Expert looks like
If we are talking about the simplest processes (for example, about posting an article on a blog), it is enough to print checklists and distribute them to employees.
Task messengers for checklists
Sometimes Google Sheets and analogues are in short supply. If several specialists are working on a project using the same checklist, they need to interact: discuss tasks and difficulties encountered, look for solutions. It is better that work and discussion take place in one window.
In such cases, task messengers will help. Here are the most convenient ones.
Wunderlist. This is a service organizer: here you can set tasks for the day (for yourself and for employees), take notes, create checklists and immediately turn them into tasks with a due date.
If necessary, add media files, reference or teaching materials
Several executors can be attached to each checklist.
We send invitations - and the working group is assembled
Trello. This is an application where each task has its own card. You can add responsible employees to each card, attach documents, media files and checklists. The list for the checklist can be copied directly from the Excel spreadsheet.
We create a checklist, assign those responsible
Minus one, but serious: no nesting. You cannot add answer options by item. But you can create several separate checklists in each card - each of them will become a logical block of a single checklist. Or even make a whole card a point of the checklist (cards here can be grouped on separate "boards").
Rovertask. Here you can also export checklists in .xls format. Attach them to the task - and the system itself divides each sheet into separate tasks. Employees take them to work and carry them out. If necessary, they discuss some points in the chat. The chat is automatically created for specialists working on a specific task (the manager and the client can also participate in the discussion).
It's convenient: a few clicks, and you don't need to paint everything manually.
If we click on any of the tasks, a window will appear with the corresponding part of the checklist
Rovertask offers several ready-made checklists - with detailed explanations and examples of use.
If you use Megaplan or Bitrix24 - create checklists right there:
Do you need checklists for your studio?
Checklists are irreplaceable when scaling. Their potential is revealed when you expand: you provide more and more services, carry out voluminous, complex work. In checklists, you record the best (and already worked out) practices for new hires. Create a starting point for them in their work.
If you work with a small team, you are not going to scale, and your range of services is limited, the effect of checklists will be weak. Almost all processes are already in the minds of employees. There is no oversupply of information. Here standardization may be overkill. The checklist will become "one more piece of paper", without which it was normal anyway.
Answer yourself honestly: are you planning to expand? If yes, checklists will help you. If the main thing now is to stay afloat, spend time on more urgent matters.
Development of checklists as a new service
Automated work yourself - help others. When you implement checklists in the studio and see the results, you can do the same for your clients. After all, you immerse yourself in their business and understand how and what should work. Offer different service options:
- you can create checklists to order for each workflow;
- give them a bonus when making a deal;
- take control of the implementation.
Checklists are great for standardizing just about any process. Use them to scale your business without failures or misfires.
A creative, attentive and serious attitude to work is an important part of modern business. However, creativity has always been closely associated with the unforeseen expenditure of working time, uncertainty in the assessment of labor, the need to clarify the cost of work performed.
There are a large number of tasks that do not require high qualifications and can be solved by precise and high-quality execution of a sequence of simple actions. A checklist is just such a solution to the problem.
Scope of the idea
The sequence of simple operations is applicable both for solving important tasks that are performed by qualified specialists, and for other tasks that an ordinary worker, student or schoolchild can handle.
A checklist is a sample of the correct one written in the form of a sequence of the most simple, most accurate and concise, but complete actions that need to be performed, for example, in order to:
- the plane took off;
- go to the store and buy what mom asked;
- build a business;
- achieve some goal;
- check or do something for something.
The conveyor once revolutionized the industry, and it turned out to be useful in the production of not only simple parts, but also complex machines, mechanisms, food, sporting goods, clothing, footwear.
Ideally, when the checklist is a dozen of the minimum necessary, simple actions:
- an ideal simple action is a simple, unconditional instruction to do something;
- the ideal indication does not create options, but the next action is performed strictly in turn;
- no random movements, everything is done strictly according to the plan and according to the content of each item on the sheet.
The goal (task) can be great, and not every solution can fit on one sheet. However, nothing prevents you from compiling several checklists, which are executed sequentially by different workers at certain intervals.
Planning a solution to the problem
Planning is an important part of any business. A checklist is also a plan, and not just a solution to a problem. You can draw up an action plan in case of an unforeseen situation, a plan of behavior in case of an accident or natural disaster, the daily routine in a children's recreation camp. The schedule of classes at an institute or school is also a test product for "simple intelligence", since there are conditions in this kind of checklist. For example, odd or even days, weeks.
Man always planned everything he did, but he did it unconsciously. The emergence of the concept of "checklist" is an example of how the ordinary and habitual unconscious is within the competence of the conscious, acquires a new meaning and a radically new quality.
The term itself is relatively young, but the history of its idea and its application goes back hundreds of years. Most likely, the first papyri with the regulation of the sequence of simple actions were used in ancient times, otherwise it is difficult to explain the moments of the flourishing of ancient civilizations, as well as the reasons for their fall.
Sample: FTP daemon installation checklist
This is a pattern written once and used for many years. Nothing here is beautifully decorated, written in a unixoid style, but practical.
Generally speaking, such checklists are born as a result of lengthy administration performed by the system administrator. As a rule, two or three years later, after hundreds of installations, the administrator writes such a memo to himself and his colleagues. This is a real checklist: ugly but practical.
A sample of a beautiful impractical checklist
Everything is written correctly here, but this is not a checklist. In particular, the "Logo" is primarily the verbs:
- create;
- how to create;
- what to consider;
- what to discard.
There should be several recommendations behind each such verb.
An appeal to a slogan is reasonable, but creating a slogan is creativity, and its verification is a long practice (on a real live Internet with a massive influx of visitors), neither one nor the other is related to the checklist.
And so on for each item.
Really "flying" checklist (fragment) for the Boeing 737
This is how the checklist should be drawn up. The phrase is a simple answer. That is, a simple action and a simple result.
This is only a fragment of a document, moreover, written in English, but in this particular case, not the language is important, but the accuracy of the declaration of the action and verification of the result of its execution.
Test Applications
Practical applications of a clear action plan:
- sports;
- accounting;
- inspection of the company's products;
- company audit;
- investigative measures;
- spaceship launch, etc.
Almost any area of \u200b\u200bhuman life and activity can be defined by an assortment of various small plans: checklist # 1, # 2, # 3, etc.
Strict regulation of actions is of particular importance in critical areas of activity, for example, in preparing a surgeon for an operation, when medical personnel, all participating doctors and nurses - each within their competence - performs a strictly regulated list of actions. Usually everything is done “on the machine”, but professional ethics requires all actions to be performed “on a piece of paper”.
A checklist is an indispensable document for certification and regulation of the production and testing of food products, children's goods, checking the operation of machines and mechanisms.
Internet technologies and simple operations
Any surgical intervention requires a highly qualified surgeon. But it also requires the proper execution of simple operations. In particular, all instruments on the operating table must lie strictly in certain places, the patient must be prepared for the operation not only physiologically, but also morally.
A checklist (an example of a sequence of actions) is not a program, not an algorithm, and it is difficult to attribute it to programming in the direct sense of the word, but Internet technologies have led to the need to create and perform many routine, but very important operations.
Creation of a web resource requires at least a triplet of Apache, PHP and MySQL or its equivalent based on another server, another interpreter and database. The installation of this trinity is the minimum required clear sequence of actions.
A mistake here is fraught with the impossibility of working at all. Modern Internet programming is characterized by the fact that the algorithms of the server, the interpreter and the browser programming language "do not think", but if they "do not understand" something, then they definitely "do not do"!
Error logging is necessarily declared, but often logging is not sufficient to locate the problem.
Internet Programming: Simple Solutions to Complex Problems
A checklist is a solution to a problem. The practice of Internet programming in JavaScript and PHP, in particular, with an object-oriented style of writing, allows only two options for solving the problem:
- Professional intuition.
- Test case.
There is no third. Testing tools in programming have been very developed for a long time. There are also many additional tools for checking code, and developers of programming languages \u200b\u200bdevote a lot of time and effort to creating tools for debugging and finding errors.
But to determine in what place, at what level, in which particular subsystem of objects of the general system an opportunity happened, only the creator (author) of the code, or an advanced test case, to the creation of which an experienced master had a hand, can.
The ideal solution is to make a checklist at the code level, when not a person, but the object created by him, takes care of the execution of its own functionality, and also controls its state and its relations with other objects.
Internet promotion, SEO
Since the Internet became available to the mass visitor (and the topic "checklist as a test product" has always been available to the masses), a stream of monotonous ideas has poured into the field of SEO. Absolutely trivial sequences were offered, and completely real money was squeezed out of gullible buyers on empty and groundless grounds.
- technical component;
- internal idealization of content;
- semantic content of the core of the resource;
- content: how it is and how it should be;
- commercial moment, resource monetization;
- external circumstances;
- region of promotion;
- a behavioral moment in the image of a visitor, etc.
But the buzz words were about money. Gullible buyers, paying for the "work" of the authors of the checklists, stimulated the production of such products, which is not good at all. But this process led to the fact that the topic of promotion expanded to the maximum possible limit and created conditions for the generalization of information.
Reproduction in the field of information is a natural process, and today anyone who wishes gets a real promotion of their own resource in any way:
- minimum costs through its own potential;
- maximum costs through a qualified craftsman.
A checklist today is a real and effective tool for achieving the desired in its formal part and absolutely complete freedom in the creative moment of the goal being achieved.
Virtual space of simple ideas
The material component in life, at work, in the socio-economic sphere as a whole has gained stability. The fundamental reasons for successfully achieving what he wanted became apparent. The checklist is an example of how the creative component has gone into the virtual space.
The level of qualification of consumers and authors of ideas has moved to a new quality. This nullified the position and led to the formation of a range of new tasks and the need for new solutions. The world again became more perfect, and again a new quality was due to a simple and natural step forward.
Have you ever caught yourself thinking that you are repeating something to an employee not for the first time? Or notice that while completing a familiar task, employees make the same annoying mistakes? If so, then it's time to instruct employees to draw up checklists.
Check list (Check list - checklist) - a list containing a number of necessary checks for some work. By checking the items on the list, the employee can learn about the status / correctness of this work.
The importance of checklists can hardly be overestimated. No matter how experienced an employee is, in a rush he can easily forget an important detail. Let's take, for example, a common situation - preparing to participate in an exhibition. This is a very expensive undertaking. One overlooked detail - flyers not printed on time - can be worth half your budget.
Check sheets can be applied in a variety of areas: there are checklists for waiters, for pilots, for marketers, for web designers.
Below are the rules for creating checklists that will help your employees create a useful and high-quality tool.
Rules for drawing up check lists
1. One point - one operation
Checklist items are the minimum complete transactions. What does it mean?
Ordering the production of business cards and delivering business cards to the office are 2 different operations.
Therefore, in the checklist, they are displayed as separate items.
* business cards ordered
* business cards delivered to the office
2. Items are written in the affirmative
The purpose of the checklist is to check the readiness, so it is better to make items in the affirmative form - “ordered, delivered”. Compare the wording “order business cards” and “business cards ordered”. The second option requires more responsibility.
3. The optimal number of points is up to 20
Check sheets should not be long. The optimal number of points is up to 20. If required, it is better to divide the task into several stages and draw up a separate checklist for each stage.
Example of a check list:
Effective implementation of checklists
1. Testing
After drawing up the checklist, mentally go through all the points with the employee. Fill in what has been missed. Arrange the items in the correct order. Make your edits.
2. Design
The checklist should look aesthetically pleasing - then it will be more pleasant to work with it.
3. Convenient access
Share documents with employees so that they can be easily printed at the right time. Print the resulting list in the form of a table (if the check sheet is filled out every day).
Benefits of using checklists
* Structuring information in the head of the employee. When recording the necessary actions, the employee clearly delineates the desired sequence of tasks.
* Increase the rate of learning of new employees. There is no need to repeat the sequence of operations for the hundredth time. It is enough to conduct a short briefing and give a checklist for independent work.
* High result, fewer errors. As mentioned at the beginning of the article, checklists help to avoid punctures and careless mistakes.
* Interchangeability of employees.
Examples of useful checklists for online business
The scope of the need for control depends on the structure and type of activity of a particular organization. To properly check the work of the company must be carried out regularly. This procedure is simply impossible without a correctly drawn up checklist.
Internal audit checklist
An audit checklist may be required to check the entire activity of an organization or a single industry, process, or department. This document used to be filled out in the form of paper, later electronic versions in Word and Excel began to appear. There are specialized applications for now, but the previous methods are still valid.
The standard audit checklist contains 6 columns:
- Number line.
- Verifiable ISO requirement.
- Detailed questions.
- A method for evaluating a verified requirement.
- A mark about the result of the check.
- Auditor or panel comments.
The very concept of a checklist literally translates as a "checklist" and can even be used to audit the activities of 1 employee of the company.
Legal and regulatory framework
According to the Federal Law of 30.12.2008 No. 307 "On audit", the compilation of checklists of various types is regulated, but this applies to external audit. It is legally allowed to conduct internal audits by outsourced companies. Management can invite an employee to conduct an audit, rather than create a commission from their own employees.
Article 19 of the Federal Law "On Accounting" dated December 6, 2011 obliges to conduct an internal audit. This concerns the audit of the accounting area, other areas of activity are controlled according to the personal preferences of the organization.
Document functions
The main tasks of the checklist are to control and structure information about the current processes of any kind of activity. This is a kind of checklist of questions that allows you to conduct a systematic analysis and identify shortcomings in the work of a particular link in the organization.
In addition to the controlling function, based on the checklist data, it is possible to draw up a further development plan or change the structure of the company. Also, based on the results of an internal audit, it is permissible to assess the competence of employees of the audited department of the company or the whole.
The stages of filling out the checklist for internal audit of the QMS with examples are described below.
Filling stages
In the process of control, the structure of the checklist is important. When developing it, it is necessary to take into account a logical sequential procedure that excludes a constant return to the aspects already considered. This will allow you to build the correct structure not only of the checklist itself, but also help in filling it out correctly.
In fact, filling out a well-designed checklist is very simple.
- At the first stage, it is necessary to delve into the content of the checkpoint, read the question or familiarize yourself with the controlled criterion.
- Further, the assessment method should be clarified and carried out in accordance with this paragraph. This could be an inspection, interview, survey, study of documentation, or some other way of assessing.
- At the third stage, it is necessary to enter or write down the control results in the appropriate column of the checklist.
- Also in a number of documents there is a clause with the auditor's comments. If it is on the checklist, it must be completed before moving on to the next question.
You can download a sample checklist for internal audit.
Sample checklist for internal audit
Sample checklist for internal audit - 1
Sample checklist for internal audit - 2
Sample Checklist for Internal Audit - 3
Sample Checklist for Internal Audit - 4
Sample Checklist for Internal Audit - 5
This is a list containing a number of necessary checks for any job. By checking the items on the list, you, a team or a specialist, can learn about the status or correctness of this work.
While working on a project, did you catch yourself thinking that this is not the first time you repeat obvious mistakes? Or have you noticed that while completing a familiar task, employees make the same mistakes, wasting time?
Checklists can be used in a variety of areas: there are checklists for waiters, pilots, marketers, web designers.
The following rules for checklists will help you and your employees create a useful and high-quality product.
Rules for drawing up checklists
- One point - one operation
Checklist items are minimum complete transactions. For example, ordering the production of business cards and delivering business cards to the office are 2 different operations. Therefore, in the checklist, they are displayed as separate items:
- business cards are ordered;
- business cards delivered to the office.
- The points are written in the affirmative
The purpose of the checklist is to check the readiness of the task, so it is better to write items in the affirmative form - “ordered, delivered”. Compare the wording: "order business cards" and "business cards ordered". The second option requires more responsibility.
- The optimal number of points is up to 20
Checklists shouldn't be long. The optimal number of points is up to 20. If required, it is better to split the task into several stages and draw up a separate checklist for each stage.
Effective implementation of checklists:
- Testing
After drawing up the checklist, mentally go through all the points with the employee. Fill in what has been missed. Arrange the items in the correct order. Make your edits.
- Registration
The checklist should look aesthetically pleasing - then it will be more pleasant to work with it.
- Convenient access
Share documents with employees so that they can be easily printed at the right time. Print the resulting list in the form of a table (if the checklist is filled out every day).
Read also: Top - 30 sites of Uanet for August 2018
Benefits of using checklists:
- structuring information from an employee. When recording the necessary actions, the employee clearly delineates the desired sequence of tasks;
- increasing the rate of training of new employees. There is no need to repeat the sequence of operations several times. It is enough to conduct a short briefing and give a checklist for independent work;
- high result, fewer errors. As mentioned at the beginning of the article, checklists help to avoid punctures and careless mistakes;
- interchangeability of employees;
- saving of working time - employees will spend much less time on reworking tasks.
Andrey Manokha, creative director of the Internet agency UaMaster